The move should mark the endgame in what has been nearly 18 months of limbo for wine, beer and spirits firms operating in France.

In February 2008, the National Association for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Addiction won a court battle against Heineken, arguing that its online publicity was illegal. France's Loi Evin makes no mention of the internet, therefore internet publicity is not legal, argued the campaign group.

A Paris court judge agreed, sparking a bizarre chapter in the history of alcohol in France.